Suranne Jones and Rose Leslie take to skies for second series of BBC drama Vigil

The first series of the show, which came to a nail-biting conclusion in September 2021, saw Jones and Leslie as police detectives investigating a murder on a submarine. It became the UK’s most watched new drama since Bodyguard in 2018.

On Tuesday, the BBC announced the new six-part series will see DCI Amy Silva (Jones) and DI Kirsten Longacre (Leslie) tasked with uncovering the cause of multiple unexplained fatalities at a Scottish military facility.

The pair will enter the “hostile and closed ranks of the air force” and “face the deadly warfare of tomorrow as they fight for their own future” alongside returning actor Gary Lewis as DS Colin Robertson, the broadcaster said.

Jones, who also stars in Gentleman Jack and Doctor Foster, said: “I’m thrilled to be joining the Vigil team again and continuing our story. We have brilliant new scripts and some amazing additions to the cast. Buckle up. It’s quite a ride.”

Leslie, famed for her role in Games Of Thrones alongside her husband Kit Harington, said: “I’m delighted to team up with Suranne again and continue Amy and Kirsten’s adventures through a second series of Vigil. Tom Edge has created another gripping case for us to grapple with in a whole new setting.”

Joining the show will be Romola Garai, Dougray Scott, Amir El-Masry and David Elliot, alongside Chris Jenks, Tommy Sim’aan, Oscar Salem, Jonathan Ajayi and Hiba Medina, all playing “key roles” across all six episodes, the BBC confirmed.

Becoming Elizabeth and The Hour star Garai said: “It’s a huge privilege to be welcomed in as a part of Vigil series two and to be playing such a layered, complex character. I can only hope to do justice to the show’s continued fascinating, challenging and thrilling storytelling.”

Scott, who has appeared in TV series Crime and 2001 thriller Enigma, said: “I’m delighted to be joining the cast of Vigil series two – the first was so highly regarded and widely watched, and I’m really looking forward to collaborating with Tom Edge and Andy De Emmony. Suranne Jones and Rose Leslie are great talents and I’m excited to be working with them.”

Series two will be directed by Andy De Emmony, produced by Marcus Wilson, and made by World Productions – behind hit shows Line Of Duty and Bodyguard.

Tom Edge, creator and writer of Vigil, said: “I’m delighted that Suranne and Rose are returning to reprise their roles as DCI Amy Silva and DI Kirsten Longacre, and am grateful to the BBC for the opportunity to take them on a thrilling new adventure.

“World Productions have built a fantastic reputation for twisting, turning thrillers and this one corkscrews with the best of them.”

Meanwhile Lindsay Salt, director of BBC Drama, said: “Vigil series one took the country by storm, and I could not be more excited for BBC viewers to find out what comes next. With a highly original mystery and a richly fascinating new world for Silva and Longacre to explore, this is blockbuster television with brains as well as brawn.”

The second series of Vigil will begin filming in Scotland and Morocco in the spring, the BBC said.